Manufacture of cigarettes



United States Patent 3,171,415 MANUFACTURE OF CIGARETTES David TheodoreNelson Williamson and Douglas William Ballantyne Muir, Deptford, London,England, assignors to Molins Machine Company Limited, London, England, aBritish company Filed July 2, 1963, Ser. No. 292,288 Claims priority,application Great Britain, July 11, 1962, 26,680/ 62 2 Claims. (Cl.131-66) This invention concerns improvements in or relating to themanufacture of wrapped rods, and in particular to apparatus for wrappinga filler, such as a tobacco filler, in a continuous wrapper, such as acigarette-paper web, in a continuous rod making machine, such as acontinuous rod cigarette-making machine.

It is to be understood that the term tobacco filler, when used herein,is intended to denote not only a filler consisting wholly of tobacco,but also any filler suitable for incorporation in a wrapper to form acigarette rod, and includes, for example, a filler consisting ofportions of tobacco between which are spaced mouthpiece portions, as issometimes used in the manufacture of mouthpiece cigarettes. Further ,theword filler is to be understood as including a filler of any material,e.g. filtering material, which is enclosed in paper or the like to forma continuous rod.

In our copending application, Serial No. 289,883, filed June 24, 1963,there is disclosed in a continuous rod cigarette-making machine,apparatus for wrapping a tobacco filler in a paper web, comprisingfolding means to fold the web about the filler so that one edge portionoverlaps the other edge portion of the paper web, an element positionedto lie between the filler and the overlapping paper edge portions, andan ultrasonic vibratory device having a welding tip arranged to act onthe overlapping paper edge portions againSt the said element to weld theedge portions together to form a seam running lengthwise of the wrappedcigarette rod.

According to the present invention there is provided in a continuous rodcigarette-making machine, apparatus for wrapping a tobacco filler in acontinuous moving cigarette-paper web to form a continuous cigaretterod, comprising folding means to fold the wrapper about the filler sothat edge portions of the wrapper overlap, an ultrasonic vibratorydevice including a mechanical impedance transformer, a compressiontongue having a vibrating tip and formed by a coupler of said mechanicalimpedance transformer so shaped and positioned between the filler andthe overlapping edge portions of the wrapper as to compress the filleras it is being wrapped, and a member so positioned that the overlappingedge portions pass between the vibrating tip of the tongue and themember whereby the overlapping edge portions are welded together by thevibrating action of the tip against the member.

Apparatus in accordance with the invention will now be described by wayof example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a section through part of a continuous rod cigarette-makingmachine,

FIGURE 2 is a section on the line II-II of FIGURE 1, drawn to a largerscale,

FIGURE 3 is a section on the line IH-III of FIG- URE 2,

FIGURE 4 is a plan view of part of the apparatus shown in FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 5 is a view similar to FIGURE 1 showing another embodimentaccording to the invention.

Referring to FIGURES l, 2, 3 and 4, the apparatus comprises a U-shapetrough 1, which has converging side walls, through which a conveyor tape2 (not shown in FIGURES 1 and 4) can travel from right to left as viewedin FIGURE 1. A paper web 3 (also not shown in FIG- URES l and 4)carrying a tobacco filler, is conveyed on the tape 2 through the trough1, which folds the tape and paper into U-shape to partially enclose thefiller.

An ultrasonic vibratory device, in the form of a mechanical impedancetransformer having a transducer 4 and a coupler 5, is positioned abovethe trough 1, the coupler 5 being supported at a node of vibration by asupport 6. The lower surface of the coupler 5 defines a longitudinalgroove 7, which is arcuate in cross section and which narrows andbecomes less deep towards the downstream end 8 of the coupler. The topof the groove 7 is also sloped downwardly towards the end 8, so that thetobacco filler passing beneath the coupler is gradually compressed as ittravels downstream along the groove 7, the coupler 5 thus being shapedand positioned to act as a compression tongue for the filler.

Positioned above the coupler 5 towards its downstream end, are two guideparts 9 and 10, which are shown in plan in FIGURE 4 (from which thecoupler 5 has been omitted for clarity). The parts 9 and 10 are shapedto guide the edge portions of the paper web 3 into overlappingrelationship to enclose the filler. The guide part 9 extends over thetrough 1 from one side thereof, the portion of the part 9 above thetrough having in its underside a longitudinal groove which is arcuate incross-section. The part 10 extends over the trough 1 from the other sidethereof, and is also provided at its underside with an arcuate,longitudinal groove, which, at the downstream end portion 11 of the part10, is substantially semicircular, and, together with the trough 1,forms a substantially cylindrical channel. As the paper web 3 travelsalong the trough 1 the paper edges move upwardly at both sides of thecoupler 5. The paper edge 12 (FIGURE 4) is then guided inwardly anddownwardly over the downstream end of the coupler 5 by the shaped guidepart 9. The paper edge 13 passes between the parts 9 and 10 and isguided inwardly and downwardly by the part 10 to overlap the edge 12.The paper edges are then held in overlapping relationship against theupper surface of the downstream end of the coupler 5 by the portion 11of the part 10.

An aperture 14 (FIGURES l, 2 and 3) is provided in the portion 11 of theguide part 10 immediately above the end 8 of the coupler 5. A member 15,having a narrow rectangular surface 16, is attached to the part 10 sothat the surface 16 projects slightly through the aperture 14 and canbear on the overlapping paper edge portions against the end 8 of thecoupler 5.

The end 8 of the coupler 5 executes ultrasonic vibrations and welds theoverlapping paper portions together against the surface 16 of the member15 to form a welded seam running lengthwise of the wrapped cigaretterod, the width of the welded seam being determined by the width of thesurface 16. The high frequency vibration of the coupler 5 tends toreduce friction between the tobacco filler and the coupler, and thusassists the passage of the filler. The ultrasonically welded, wrappedcigarette rod then passes to cut-oif mechanism to be severed intoindividual cigarette lengths.

Referring to the alternative arrangement shown in FIG- URE 5 (in whichlike parts are indicated by the same references used in FIGURES l, 2, 3and 4), there is provided, mounted on a support 17 above the trough 1, acompression tongue 18 having a longitudinal groove 19 similar to thegroove 7 previously described. An ultrasonic, mechanical impedancetransformer, comprising a transducer 20 and a coupler 21, is positionedabove the 3 trough 1 immediately upstream of the guide part 9. A tip 22,attached to the coupler 21, forms an extension to the tongue 18, the tip22 having a tapering groove 23 corresponding tov the. groove 19. When.the mechanical impedance transformer operates, the downstream end 24 ofthe tip 22 executes ultrasonic vibrations.

In the embodiment shown in FIGURE 5, a paper web carrying a tobaccofiller'is conveyed through the trough 1 on a conveyor tape, andthe'paper edge portions are folded into overlapping reltionship, aboutthe end 24 of the tip positioned between-the filler and the overlappingedge tory device coupled to said compression tongue to vibrate said tipagainst said memberpwhereby said overlapping edgeportions are weldedtogetherby the vibrating action 22 in a manner as previously described.The vibrating by Letters Patent is:

1. In a continuous rod'cigarette-making machine, apparatus for Wrappinga tobacco filler in a continuous moving cigarette-paper Web to form acontinuous cigarette rod, comprising fold means to fold the wrapperabout the filler so that edge portions of the wrapper overlap, a com-'pression tongue having a vibrating tip so shaped and of said tipagainst said member.

2. The apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said vibratory deviceisamechanical impedance transformer.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS.

554,096 2 /96 Strouse 131--67 777,802 12/04 Paul et a1. 13167 966,2798/10 Weil 131'67 2,190,012 2/40 Bronander 131- 66 2,946,120 I 7/60 Joneset a1. 3,101,404 8/63 Hill.

FOREIGN PATENTS 956,490 1/57 Germany.

SAMUEL KOREN, Primary Examiner.

1. IN A CONTINUOUS ROD CIGARETTE-MAKING MACHINE, APPARATUS FOR WRAPPING A TOBACCO FILLER IN A CONTINUOUS MOVING CIGARETTE-PAPER WEB TO FORM A CONTINUOUS CIGARETTE ROD, COMPRISING FOLD MEANS TO FOLD THE WRAPPER ABOUT THE FILLER SO THAT EDGE PORTIONS OF THE WRAPPER OVERLAP, A COMPRESSION TONGUE HAVING A VIBRATING TIP SO SHAPED AND POSITIONED BETWEEN THE FILLER AND THE OVERLAPPING EDGE PORTIONS OF THE WRAPPER AS TO COMPRESS THE FILLER AS IT IS BEING WRAPPED, AND A MEMBER SO POSITIONED THAT SAID OVERLAPPING EDGE PORTIONS PASS BETWEEN SAID VIBRATING TIP OF SAID TONGUE AND SAID MEMBER AND AN ULTRASONIC VIBRATORY DEVICE COUPLED TO SAID COMPRESSION TONGUE TO VIBRATE SAID TIP AGAINST SAID MEMBER, WHEREBY SAID OVERLAPPING EDGE PORTIONS ARE WELDED TOGETHER BY THE VIBRATING ACTION OF SAID TIP AGAINST SAID MEMBER. 